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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pass · mine · chair · pit · roll · net · cell · last

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — for digging
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — after costs
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. pit — in a race
  10. cell — in biology
  11. last — finally
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. roll — a cake
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. net — in sport
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. last — to go on
  20. roll — a list
  21. chair — a leader
  22. cell — a phone
  23. last — final
  24. roll — on a roll

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com